Forging Ahead
by BlackFox12
Summary: Set after the events of book seven. Haplo starts feeling guilty as he sees how close he and Alfred are growing, prompting Alfred to suggest a form of punishment used by Sartan long ago. Contains spanking. Don't like? Don't read


**Forging Ahead**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from the Death Gate book series and I'm not making any money from this fic

**Summary:** Set after the events of book seven. Haplo starts feeling guilty as he sees how close he and Alfred are growing, prompting Alfred to suggest a form of punishment used by Sartan long ago

**Warning(s):** Spanking; spoilers for the seven books of The Death Gate Cycle; some mentions of violence

**Author's Note:** A summary of the book series can be found on Wikipedia

* * *

Haplo stood at the Final Gate of the Labyrinth, staring out at the Nexus - or what was left of it, anyway. Once a beautiful city, built by the Sartan for the rehabilitation of their enemies, the war between the Patryns and the serpents had left it in a complete ruin.

One day, perhaps it would be possible to rebuild what was lost. But, for now, they needed to heal - and make plans. At least alliances were now possible between the two races.

This wasn't the first time Haplo had found himself caught up in his thoughts. There were times he found himself missing his dog, even though he knew the dog was now a part of him. Still, the animal had been company for him ever since he'd escaped the Labyrinth. Even though he had friends - more like a family - now, he still missed the companionship and steadfast loyalty of the animal.

"He's not truly gone."

Haplo gave a quiet groan at the familiar voice behind him and turned round, looking at the scruffy old Sartan behind him. He didn't bother asking Zifnab how he knew what he was thinking. Haplo had long since resigned himself to the fact that he was never going to understand anything Zifnab said. "Shouldn't you be with your dragon?"

"What, that old thing? He'd sooner eat me than keep me around. Dragons aren't very constructive to a low profile, have you noticed? Now, Gandalf the Grey never kept company with a dragon - and he even tangled with a Balrog."

Haplo shook his head, not understanding a lot of what the old Sartan had said. It probably wasn't very important, either. Zifnab had periods of lucidity, but those were few and far between.

To the best of his knowledge, no one knew what Zifnab's past was. If that was even his real name, which Haplo doubted. "I know the dog isn't truly gone."

"There's a dog? Where?" Zifnab turned so suddenly that his hat, already set at a precarious angle, wobbled and slipped off his head. It would have fallen to the ground, had not Haplo's hand shot out and caught it.

Zifnab turned back to Haplo, casting a glance towards the hat held in his hand. "That's an old hat, isn't it? My hat is much nicer."

"This is your hat." Haplo offered it to Zifnab.

"No, I don't think so. I'm sure that must be yours, old chap."

"Did you want something?" Haplo asked, resisting the urge to drop the hat onto the ground.

Zifnab looked at Haplo, but didn't really seem to see him. "Want something? No, of course not. I must find my dragon. Have you seen him?"

Haplo privately reflected that Alfred would be better at dealing with this than he was. Out of all of the Sartan he'd met - and, by now, that number was much higher than Haplo would have preferred - Alfred was the most compassionate. Among other things. "I'm sure you're not here just for the sake of it. Are you supposed to tell me something?"

Zifnab apparently hadn't heard a word Haplo had said, his eyes on the hat still in the Patryn's hand. "That _is_ my hat. Give it back." He held a hand out expectantly.

Haplo thought about refusing; holding the hat out of Zifnab's reach until the Sartan told him what he wanted to know. He quickly discarded that notion, though, and allowed Zifnab to take his hat back, shoving it firmly on his head. Haplo looked around surreptitiously as Zifnab took an inordinate amount of time straightening his hat.

Where was that dragon? Why was he letting his Sartan run around unattended?

Haplo's uncharitable thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone approaching. The Patryn glanced down at his arms, relaxing when he saw that there was no blue glow, mild or otherwise. When he looked up, he wasn't surprised to see Alfred approaching. Nor was he surprised to see the Sartan trip over his own feet and tumble to the ground.

It was almost second nature for Haplo to step over to Alfred and offer him a hand. Alfred took it and climbed to his feet, flushing slightly. "Sorry. I thought I was getting better."

"If you only tripped over your feet once on your way over here, I'd say you're getting better," Haplo said. He let go of Alfred's hand and turned back to Zifnab, shaking his head when he saw that the other Sartan had vanished. "I hope his dragon came for him," he muttered, dreading to think what would happen if Zifnab wandered into a group of Patryns.

"Was Zifnab here?" Alfred asked, looking round.

"He _was_. But you know what he's like. Were you looking for him?" Haplo wasn't disappointed - he really wasn't - but there was a part of him that almost missed the times when it had been just him and Alfred travelling together. Of course, now they weren't bitter enemies, so they'd gained something.

"It wasn't anything important. Balthazar's meeting with the leaders of your people. He just wanted to see if Zifnab could tell him anything, since we've been awake the longest."

Haplo heard the note of pain in Alfred's voice and he remembered the time when they'd passed through the Death Gate and had slipped into each other's most painful memory. It wasn't his own, but Haplo still remembered the feeling of being the only one left out of his whole race.

"I'm not sure how much help he can be," Haplo commented. "I think his lucid moments are few and far between."

"I know. I just thought..." Alfred shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

Haplo really didn't like the way Alfred looked like a kicked puppy when something had upset him. Sighing quietly to himself, Haplo scanned the surrounding area and then turned back to the Sartan. "Zifnab might not be of much help, but if we can find his dragon, I'm sure you'll get some answers."

Alfred looked surprised. "You don't have to come with me. I'm sure there's plenty you need to do."

Haplo didn't need to pay attention to the images under Alfred's words to know that the Sartan was referring to his daughter, Rue. And Haplo did want to find her. But if he was honest with himself, Alfred was probably his best friend. If Alfred had been a Patryn, Haplo would have seriously considered a rune joining ceremony between them. Did Sartan have a similar ceremony? Haplo stored that question in his mind to ask at a later date.

"I wonder if your definition of a friend is different to mine," Haplo said. "Friends help each other. I'll help you with this - and I know you'll help me to find my daughter." He spoke with no hesitation. Alfred's only reluctance would come from a concern that his clumsiness would be more of a hindrance than any help he could give.

"Of course. Though I still don't move very well. And I can't promise I won't faint."

"I think your time of fainting when there's danger is mostly over." Haplo knew, from what Marit had told him, about Alfred's capture by one of the Labyrinth dragons - and the thought of it happening again bothered him. But Haplo calmed himself with the promise that Alfred wouldn't be out of his sight even for a moment, even if he turned into a dragon.

"I hope so - though perhaps you'd benefit from taking some of the others with you."

"I'd trust you at my back more than anyone else." Even Marit, for that matter. Haplo still cared about her, but after they'd become imprisoned in the Labyrinth again, there'd been some coolness between the two of them. Perhaps they'd become too different.

"Really?" Alfred looked absurdly happy.

Haplo snorted softly. What was with Alfred and his constant need for reassurance? "Didn't you realise that by now?"

"We have been enemies for a long time."

Haplo opened his mouth to tell Alfred that the enmity was between their peoples, not them, but he thought better of it. After all, Haplo had treated Alfred as his enemy for a long time, while Alfred had just been his usual bumbling self and actually attempted to help him several times.

Guilt, sharp and unexpected, stabbed through Haplo. The only other times he'd felt like this were when he'd failed Lord Xar. And those times had been dealt with immediately and severely.

But Haplo doubted Alfred would do anything like what Xar had done, even if he knew how to unravel runes - which Haplo doubted as well.

"Is something wrong?" Alfred asked.

Haplo shook his head, not wanting to worry his friend. "Let's just find Zifnab or his dragon."

"I think maybe this is something we need to talk about."

A bit surprised by Alfred's insistence on this, Haplo looked at him. "It doesn't matter."

"I'd like to think I know you very well by now, Haplo," Alfred said in his quiet, unassuming voice. "Something is bothering you. Is it about Xar? I know I didn't know him that well, but I'm sure he would want you to be able to move on."

"That's not the problem."

"Then what is?"

Haplo sighed, realising that Alfred wasn't going to let go of this. "You were half right. We were enemies for a long time - but it was my doing, not yours."

"My people were responsible for yours being sent here," Alfred said. "I don't blame you for being angry."

"But it wasn't your doing - and it took me a long time to realise that. I'm sorry for what I put you through before."

A look of gentle understanding came over Alfred's face. "I don't blame you for that."

Haplo snorted softly, not surprised by the response. "I know you don't." He turned away, not wanting to have this conversation any longer. "It's not important. Weren't we going to find Zifnab?"

"Haplo..." Alfred spoke a bit hesitantly.

Haplo turned back to Alfred, a bit exasperated. "Look, we don't need to talk about it. Please?" He hated the way he sounded almost pleading, but he couldn't help it.

"We can stop talking about it if you think you can figure this out for yourself - but if it's still bothering you now, then maybe your ways are failing," Alfred said softly. "I don't know how Patryns deal with feelings of guilt, but there was a form of punishment used among the Sartan before I went to sleep."

Haplo was intrigued in spite of himself. He knew that Sartan had exiled members of their race to the Labyrinth, but he supposed that would be too severe a punishment for more minor things. "What kind of punishment?"

Alfred looked a bit uncomfortable. "I believe it was adapted from the mensch."

"And?" Haplo prompted, a little annoyed with the Sartan. That was just like Alfred - to start talking about something and then suddenly decide it was unimportant.

"It's called spanking."

Under Alfred's words, Haplo could see the image of a human teenager across the lap of an older man - presumably his father - with his breeches down to reveal his bare bottom, being smacked quite firmly by the hand of the older man and quickly turning it red. "It doesn't seem that severe."

"It's not, but it is intimate - and tends to be used on someone greatly cared for."

And Alfred wouldn't be thinking of it if he didn't care, Haplo knew. He tried to picture himself in the same position, across Alfred's lap, and found it surprisingly easy to do so. Now that he'd made the decision to go through with this, he found himself impatient to get it over with. "Let's go into one of the empty houses."

Alfred hesitated. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm not going to change my mind. In any case, you were the one who suggested this in the first place." Haplo turned in the opposite direction he had been about to head in and began walking into the Nexus. He could hear Alfred following him... or, at least, he could hear the Sartan tripping over his feet every few steps.

It seemed to take an age, but they finally reached one of the abandoned houses. Haplo just opened the door and stepped inside, aware of Alfred following him and closing the door softly behind him as well.

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Alfred said hesitantly.

Haplo stared at the wall, feeling his heart sink a bit. Although the thought of being punished in such an intimate way wasn't a pleasant one, he had been feeling better since it became an option. "You don't care about me, then?" It was probably manipulative to use that against Alfred, but Haplo didn't want his friend backing out of this. Now that he had a way to deal with these feelings of guilt, he didn't want to lose it.

Alfred flushed. "Of course I do."

Hearing the truth behind Alfred's words, Haplo relaxed, having not even realised he'd tensed up. "Then there's no reason not to go through with this." He walked into the sitting room and stood next to the couch, waiting.

Still looking quite red, Alfred walked over to the couch and sat down, stretching his long legs out in front of him. He looked at Haplo, but didn't say anything.

Haplo remembered the image he'd seen and his hands went to his breeches. He slid them down to just below his knees and then stepped round to Alfred's side, leaning over and bracing his hands on the couch the other side of the Sartan. Lying across Alfred's thighs, he could feel how thin the Sartan's legs were and he used his hands to hold himself up, not wanting to risk squashing his friend.

Alfred gently pushed Haplo's upper body down. "I'm stronger than you think. You won't hurt me."

Haplo was surprised to find his automatic reaction was to obey Alfred's slightest touch. He folded his arms on the couch and rested his cheek on them, feeling Alfred rest his warm, soft hand on his naked bottom. Apparently not quite sure what to do now, the Sartan just rubbed over Haplo's buttocks a moment, making the Patryn shift slightly.

"You don't have any runes tattooed here," Alfred commented.

"Some Patryns do, but it's not something you can do yourself." Haplo didn't feel the need to say that there were very few people he would have trusted to see his naked body, let alone tattoo part of it. The ones he couldn't reach himself had been done by his father.

"I see."

Haplo felt Alfred's hand lift from his backside and then jumped as it landed again, hard, at the crest of his bottom. He was startled at the strength of Alfred's palm as the Sartan smacked him again, this time at the crest of his other buttock.

With the first two swats, Alfred seemed to have gained confidence. Haplo jumped as Alfred's hand landed again, quite a bit harder, and hissed a breath out as a fourth smack landed. He did his best to stay still, but Alfred continued the hard smacks, including his sit spots and the tops of his thighs - the more sensitive places that set Haplo squirming a bit.

When Alfred started over from the top, Haplo couldn't help a couple of gasps of pain as already-sore skin was swatted. He'd been through much worse pain, but since Alfred wasn't speaking, the only thing he could think about was the position he was currently in... and the reason why he had pushed Alfred into doing this.

As Haplo remembered his past with Alfred and everything that had happened, he felt fully all the guilt and self-loathing he hadn't allowed himself to feel before now. Then, as the pain in his backside became more of a burning, tears filled his eyes, rolling down his cheeks as he pressed his head into his arms and wept quietly, the sound muffled a bit.

After a few moments, Haplo realised that Alfred had stopped. He didn't move, though, and just lay over Alfred's lap, feeling oddly comforted by the Sartan's hand that was now rubbing slow, soothing circles over his back.

When Haplo's tears died away, he slowly pushed himself up off Alfred's lap and carefully sat down next to the Sartan. He wiped at his eyes and then simply reached out to pull Alfred into an embrace.

Alfred hugged Haplo tightly and Haplo had the odd sense that his friend was more distressed by this than he himself was. The Patryn patted Alfred's back gently, speaking to him quietly. "Thank you for doing that."

"I hope it won't be necessary again," Alfred said. "That was far harder than I ever would have expected."

"I'm not surprised." Haplo slowly let go of Alfred. "Do you want us to go and find Zifnab now?" He found himself strangely reluctant to leave the house and the comfort of Alfred's presence.

Alfred looked at Haplo with a gaze that seemed to see right inside him. "We can stay here and talk for a little while."

"That sounds like a good idea." Haplo relaxed back against the couch.

**The End**


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